Federal broadcast records show the Cleveland Forward PAC has reserved TV and radio spots in the Cleveland markets that will begin airing this week. The TV ad attacks City Councilman Zack Reed, while the radio ad praises Jackson. Both ads carry disclaimers identifying the committee behind them.

Scott Hubay, the Cleveland Forward PAC's treasurer, declined to offer details about his group's plans or its financial supporters. But he confirmed that he is working with White. He said the group plans to "wage an informational campaign" on "a variety of platforms."

"Ultimately it's for Cleveland voters to decide, but we want people to be able to draw a distinction between the two [candidates], and I think that's important," said Hubay, a Cleveland attorney who specializes in elections law.

The creation of the committee will allow donors who already maxed out to Jackson's re-election campaign to continue to spend money to support him. Jackson already has an overwhelming fundraising advantage in the race, and has received endorsements from nearly all of the city's political and civic establishment.

The Cleveland Forward PAC was created on Oct. 5, federal elections records show. It is organized as a so-called Super PAC, groups created in the aftermath of the 2009 Citizens United decision.

That means the group can accept unlimited donations, whereas Cleveland's recently-passed campaign finance rules set limits on donations to mayoral candidates -- $5,000 for individual donors and $7,500 for political action committees. The Super PAC also won't have to disclose its donors or spending until months after the Nov. 7 election, since federal elections committees run on a different disclosure calendar than local ones.

Even tracking the ads in real time is more difficult when it comes to Super PACs. While TV stations are required to publicly disclose ad rates and airing schedules for candidate committees -- to fulfill a legal requirement that the stations charge candidates the lowest available rate -- they do not have to do the same with ads purchased by Super PACs. A political operative who placed the ad buy told cleveland.com she spent $7,900 to air the ads on WKYC, but declined to share details about other stations. WZAK and WENZ -- two stations that cater to African-American audiences -- reported the Cleveland Forward PAC's ads cost nearly $13,000 total.

Under federal law, the Cleveland Forward PAC is barred from coordinating with the Jackson campaign. Notably, the ad attacking Reed at one point flashes an image of President Donald Trump. The image is likely an allusion to Reed's acceptance of an endorsement from the Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association, which endorsed Trump last year during the presidential election. It calls Reed "inept," "reckless" and "failed."